


From the Stars

by kiricchii



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-04
Updated: 2016-03-15
Packaged: 2018-05-04 22:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5351135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiricchii/pseuds/kiricchii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasper finally escapes from being Malachite to discover she's just as trapped on this primitive planet they call Earth. Maybe Peridot can help to convince her that being stuck here isn't all that bad after all. Especially when you're stuck with a gem you've been denying your crush on for far too long.</p>
<p>Set after "Too Far".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Return

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is the first fic I've written for Steven Universe, and the first proper fic I've actually posted on here. This first chapter acts more as a prologue and so is from Steven's pov, but don't worry there'll definitely be some of Jasper next chapter!! I hope you guys like it!! <3

"I keep telling you, you need to fuse the wires _before_ you attach the base panel, not after!"

"If we fuse the wires before we won't be able to add the stabiliser in later, as I have told you many times previously."

"Urghh no you're doing it all wrong just give it here."

"Need I remind you that we agreed to work together on this?"

Steven could hear Peridot and Pearl arguing even from outside the barn. Any progress they made on the drill to destroy the Cluster only seemed to appear as a result of hours of bickering. No matter what he did it never seemed to work! They always had such different ideas on engineering. Amethyst wasn't much help either- currently she was sprawled out beside him stuffing one of the donuts he'd brought up for lunch in her face.

"Amethyyyssstt" Steven drew out her name "Are you sure we can't do anything to help them get along?"

"Ehh, there's no point," she snorted "it's fun to see which one of them'll crack first today."

Steven let out a sigh, biting into his own donut. He wanted so badly to help prepare for the cluster, even if it was simply by helping Pearl and Peridot to stop arguing!

There just didn't seem to be much he could do.

He opened his mouth to bug Amethyst with something else, when a giant crash came from the direction of the beach.

Pearl's head whipped out from the barn "What was tha-" she cut herself off with a gasp.

Something big had crashed into the rocks, causing a bunch of them to tumble down into the sea. Currently the... thing was writing around in the ocean, formless. Despite having no shape, the light emitting from the being gave away what, or rather _who_ the creature was.

"We need to get Garnet." Pearl announced, summoning her spear and drawing closer to Amethyst. Peridot lingered at the back, seemingly uncertain about the whole situation.

The group drew closer to the beach house, careful to move in an arc away from the commotion. They'd almost reached the bottom slope when Garnet burst from the entrance.

"We need to prevent them from causing too much damage. A fusion based on hate is very unstable; we may not be able to interfere directly but we should at least be able to steer her away from the city." Garnet said, summoning her gauntlets.

The five of them spread out along the beach; there wasn't really much they could do other than watch Malachite, who seemed to be having an argument with herself and kept forming and then turning shapeless again. Or was it more that Lapis Lazuli and Jasper were arguing and Malachite was just stuck between them? Steven couldn't hear much from where he was stood, he only caught words and phrases from when Malachite was formed, such as "no" and "can't do this".

Peridot kept looking like she wanted to intervene in some way. Maybe she's worried about them, Steven thought, after all she did come all the way to Earth with both of them- maybe she doesn't want them to get hurt.

With a snap that made him jump, Malachite suddenly reformed back into herself. From the corner of his eye, Steven saw Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl crouch slightly, ready for a fight. Malachite's face twisted in determination, but instead of heading forward towards the group, she took as step back. A tall wall of ocean rose up and over her before crashing back down, submerging her fully in the water. Steven had to skitter back onto some rocks to avoid the sudden rush of tide, and noticed the others doing the same.

When the water finally cleared away, Malachite was gone and the beach was empty. Wait, no, there was something by the water. Steven cautiously took a few steps forward to try to figure out what it is.

"It's Jasper." Garnet announced

"What? Steven get back!" Pearl said

He wanted to go back but couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Jasper's body was still there but she wasn't moving at all, not even to get away from the water. Garnet came forward as well to investigate, noticing the same thing as Steven. She rolled Jasper so she was face up, but she showed no signs of stirring, eyes closed and body motionless.

Amethyst jogged over to stand next to them. "Why didn't she just go back into her gem?"

"Maybe she's unconscious?" Steven offered

Peridot chimed in almost immediately " Gems don't go unconscious, especially not a warrior gem like Jasper"

"So maybe she can't?"

"What could stop her? Her gem is still intact." Amethyst said

They stood there for a few moments, contemplating the situation before Garnet came to a decision.

"Let's just take her inside for now, we can put her in a containment unit and decide what to do if she wakes up."

The others agreed, but Steven still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Jasper. Even if she had tried to hurt them all, he wasn't convinced she deserved whatever state she was in currently.


	2. Jasper Awakens

Jasper awoke with a pounding headache and feeling like she'd just finished an excessively nasty battle. Groaning, she raised a hand to her head and then paused. Her hand. She had her own hand. She sat up suddenly, taking inventory of her body and moving parts of it one by one.

 It was real, she was free. She was so overwhelmed by that simple fact, she could've cried right there. That is, if she didn't have a status to uphold.

Wait, why did she even have a headache anyway? If she'd just come from her gem shouldn't all her injuries have healed?  This whole situation was confusing and frankly more than she wanted to think about right now.

Looking around she noticed she was in some kind of room, not unlike the containment they used back on the ship. In fact, upon closer inspection of the force field shielding the door, it looked like some of the tech had been taken directly from the ship. She'd almost be impressed if she wasn't too busy lamenting the fact that she escaped one prison to be put straight into another. Even if it was a prison that appeared to come with a pillow and blanket.

Still, at least this way she was her own person. She'd take that over being Malachite any day.

The sound of approaching footsteps cut off her line of thought.

"You're awake."

It was Rose! Except she was still in the weak body that she was in before. Jasper just couldn't understand what motivation she could possibly have for staying that way. She was Rose Quartz, definitely a worthy opponent, so why was she rejecting her strength?

"Rose," Jasper's voice came out more strained than she expected. Maybe being stuck in Malachite had more of an effect on her than she wanted to admit. "So now you're the one locking me up. What are you hoping to gain from this? If imprisoning me was your plan then why let my body reform? What are you trying to prove?"

Rose looked uncomfortable at her line of questioning, but still sank down to sit opposite her, just past the force field.

"Um, I'm not actually Rose, I just have her gem. She was my mum you see, so, uh, putting you here isn't really personal I guess? We just didn't want you to hurt anyone."

Rose was looking at her expectantly, with a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

Jasper studied her for a moment. The whole situation seemed surreal, but she may as well go along with it for now. "If you're not Rose then what are you?"

"My name's Steven. And uh, honestly I just wanted to see how you're doing. You've been unconscious for a while, and you didn't go back into your gem, so we were kinda worried that something was really wrong." Rose, or rather Steven bit his lip. "Are you okay?"

She'd hoped for answers but if anything Jasper was now more confused than she was previously. It felt like a lot to take in, the Rose-creature in front of her was an entirely new being called a Steven, but was still related to the original Rose? And also appeared to be concerned for her wellbeing, for some reason. This Earth-planet was weird, in her opinion Homeworld should have written it off as a failure, it always seemed to be more trouble than it was worth.

Wait. "What do you mean I didn't go back into my gem?"

"Yeah, we found you on the beach, right after you came out of Malachite. It was like you were unconscious, your body was still here but you weren't moving or responding. We put you in here until you woke up. I made sure you were comfortable though!" Steven smiled

"Do you need anything else? It's almost lunchtime, I could get you some food if you want?"

"I'm a gem. I don't eat." Jasper thought that was obvious.

"Okay, well I'm hungry so I'm gonna go get some food and then I'll be right back!"

And with that he scampered out of her view and disappeared. So the Rose-turned-Steven has to eat? And on top of that he was maintaining his act of concern for her. Maybe he was trying to get her to trust him so that he could use her for information? Jasper still wasn't convinced his motives were pure.

With a sigh she tried to make herself a little more comfortable on the floor of her prison; it seemed like she might be stuck here a while longer anyway. Having not gone into her gem explained why she still felt awful. She didn't understand why she'd kept her body though, it certainly wasn't intentional and wasn't anything that had happened to her before. Maybe something really was wrong with her. She wasn't sure of very much at all right now.

In fact, the only thing she really was sure of was that after being defeated by the Crystal Gems again, there was no way Yellow Diamond was going to accept her back. Even if she could get out of here, where would she go? Her entire life had been devoted to doing what was best for Homeworld, and this mission was finally her chance to redeem herself after the war. And she'd blown it.

So many thoughts were swirling around her head right now, a part of her wished for the Steven creature, if only to provide a form of distraction.

Almost as if he'd heard her thoughts the Steven returned, carrying a plate of some kind of food.

"Okay, I'm back! I couldn't decide if I wanted a ham or peanut butter sandwich so I made both!" Steven said "And then I found an apple too, see? I thought we were all out but this last one was just hiding."

He kept babbling at her between bites of sandwich, but for some reason she was too focussed on watching him eat to pay attention to what he was saying. The sight of it was creating a strange sensation in her stomach that she didn't understand, an almost cramping feeling that she'd been getting over the past few days. Something she'd written off as being a side-effect of being stuck with Lapis Lazuli, yet now here it was again, even when she was back in her own body.

Steven eventually seemed to realise she wasn't listening to him at all, and followed her line of sight to the bread in his hands.

He cocked his head to the side "Do you want some?"

"What? No, of course not." She wasn't about to admit the feeling; surely it was some kind of weakness. 

Steven just hummed, seemingly unconvinced, before dividing his food into two portions, placing half of it on a napkin on the floor next to him. Crawling forward he pushed the half on the plate towards the force field. Jasper's heart almost skipped a beat as his hand on the plate drew near the glowing barrier. Surely he wasn't going to-

But his hand passed through, causing no issues other than a jittering that seemed to shake his entire body. And with that the food was on her side of the cage.

She was confused "I told you I don't need that."

"I know, but I'm just going to leave it there in case you change your mind." He seemed to sense that she wanted some peace and got up to leave. "Call if you need anything else, okay?" and with that she was alone again.

Jasper eyed the plate with disdain, why would she ever require something so primitive?

After a few minutes of ignoring the food, her curiosity got the better of her and she dragged the plate a little closer. Gingerly, she picked up one of the things that Steven had called a 'sandwich' and sniffed it. The cramping sensation in her stomach made its presence known again. If it stopped some of the weird feelings, maybe it was worth a shot?

She took a small bite of the food and chewed it a few times. The sensation was weird, her teeth were mashing it into an odd mush. The taste wasn't bad exactly, it was more having flavour in her mouth at all that was the strange thing. Swallowing it seemed satisfying somehow, encouraging her to repeat the process.

Before she knew it the plate was empty and the sensation in her stomach had been soothed for now. None of this was making any sense to her, this planet must be messing her up the same way it messed up perfectly good gems like Rose Quartz. And now she was stuck here, possibly forever, or at least until the Cluster formed and killed them all.

Jasper laughed wryly. Maybe destroying this place would be a favour to the universe after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this ended up taking so long!! School got super crazy about handing out assignments in the run up to Christmas, but hopefully I'll have more time to write now I'm on break! I hope you guys liked this, and I'll see you next chapter. <3


	3. Reunion

"You can't just keep me here!" Jasper yelled, kicking the wall. She'd been in here for days now! Or at least she thought it was days, whatever condition she had that caused the need for food also appeared to knock her unconscious for hours at a time as well.

Either way, the only contact she'd had with anyone for far too long was when the Quartz child came down to bring her food, and it was frustrating her! Did they really plan to just leave her here to rot?

She couldn't take much more of being locked up; she was going to go insane.

The sound of approaching footsteps halted her pacing.

"Finally! Let me speak to whoever's in charge of this place!" Jasper threw her fist into the wall to emphasise her words.

"Be quiet you idiot or they're going to hear you! I'm not supposed to be down here."

Huh?

"Peridot?"

"Yeah, it's me, so stop making such a huge fuss okay?"

There was a silence as Jasper surveyed her. She seemed to have survived the ship crash in one piece, although by the looks of things the same couldn't be said about her limb extensions. Jasper was relieved she was okay; Peridot was a part of her team after all, even if she did look awfully weak without her limb extensions. Rather than wanting to look down on the smaller gem as she usually would, there was a part of Jasper that instead urged her to protect this defenceless creature.

But that was nonsense, it had to be; she had no time for anyone that would only drag her down. Or at least that's what she was telling herself after...

No. It was best not to think about it.

Instead she scoffed "What are you doing here? How did you even get past those Crystal Gems?"

Peridot suddenly refused to meet her gaze.

"They're... not actually that bad you know. They just get strangely defensive over this worthless planet." she muttered

"What?" Jasper's voice rose again. "Don't tell me you've actually joined this pathetic excuse for a defence squad."

"It's the Stevens fault! It's like he gives off this aura, and before you know it you trust him and want to protect him!"

They fell silent again, as Jasper studied her. She seemed to have changed a little somehow. She seemed more relaxed than she ever did on Homeworld. Diamond help them maybe Peridot was going to start fighting for this planet as well.

"Besides," Peridot seemed to shake herself free from her thoughts "We're stuck here now - no-one on Homeworld is responding to my distress calls. We have to work together to stop the Cluster or it'll destroy us all."

The silence on Yellow Diamond's end came as no surprise to her; Homeworld had probably decided it was easier to write them both off as failures. God, even thinking it stung her deep.

"'We'? What makes you think I want any part in this foolish task? Stopping the cluster is impossible."

The smaller gem rolled her eyes. "You mean you're seriously just going to lie down and wait for your death? That sounds nothing like the great warrior Jasper I've heard stories of."

Well, she'd certainly got sassier since Jasper had last seen her. She had a point though, after everything that had happened she really did not want to die stuck in a cage.

More footsteps made them both snap their heads up.

"Hi Peridot! I didn't know you were down here too." It was Steven.

"I was just, uh, checking up on her. It's routine, for teams put together, not because I was concerned or anything." Peridot seemed very interested in staring at the floor again. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

"We're going to eat lunch together!" Steven announced, plonking himself down just outside the force field and sliding a tray of food through it.

"Jasper? Eat?" Peridot looked like she was about to start laughing but a warning glare from Jasper stopped her. Even if this wasn't Homeworld, she wasn't about to tolerate being laughed at. Or maybe she was just getting cranky from being cooped up for so long, who knew.

Jasper sat opposite Steven and pulled the plate towards her. She didn't see the point in trying to pretend she didn't want it, her stomach was already making an audible rumbling sound, and what would she gain from resisting, anyway? Pride? It's not like she had that much of that to save anymore.

"So, how long have you guys known each other?" said Steven through his own mouthful of food.

Jasper stared at him. What was he trying to get from her?

"We've had a few missions together before, usually with other people as well though." Peridot settled down next to him. "We work in the same city quadrant so we used to see each other occasionally."

"Woah! So you guy fight monsters together as well!" For some reason the boy seemed thrilled by this development.

"Well, Jasper does most of the fighting. Sometimes by herself." Was Peridot blushing?

"Peridot usually programmes the ship, and some of the weapons too." If they were going to talk right in front of her she may as well join in.

"You know how almost everything works! I'm just there in case something goes wrong with the ship."

"Huh? You do more than that. If that were true we could bring just about anyone." Jasper thought that was obvious but Peridot was looking at her as though she'd just called her an angel.

"So you know about all the technology stuff as well Jasper?" Steven asked.

"I know enough."

"That's great!" Jasper wondered if there was anything this child wasn't excited by. "This means that Jasper can help with the drill!"

"What?" Did she hear that right?

"Right, Peridot?" Steven turned to the smaller gem "You guys are having issues because Pearl hasn't worked with the newer technology, and you haven't ever used the older stuff, but I bet Jasper has used both!"

"Is that true?" Peridot turned to her.

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific than 'old' and 'new'."

"You've been working with ship technology since before the Gem War, haven't you?"

"I'm qualified to run a ship, yes."

"The Pearl is surprisingly good with technology, and we've been working together to create a machine, of sorts, to drill down to the Cluster. But we've been having issues in trying to get the parts from the ship to work with the ancient parts these gems have been hoarding."

"And you want me to help?"

"Yeah, it'll be great! If we get everyone to work together we're bound to beat the cluster! You'll do it, won't you?" Steven was practically bouncing by this point.

Jasper knew their chances were slim but even she didn't have the heart to break it to the kid when he was staring up at her with such pure hope.

She sighed. If it got her out of here...

"Alright. I'll at least take a look at it, if you're that desperate."

"Yaay! Okay, hang on a sec."

Steven moved towards the panel that she assumed controlled her prison.

"Wait," Peridot looked worried "Um, I'm not against it or anything, but shouldn't we ask the Crystal Gems first?"

"I'm a Crystal Gem." Steven answered, simply "Besides, you're not going to hurt anyone, are you?" He glanced at Jasper.

As much as she wanted to do exactly that just a few months ago, her situation was different now.

"No, I won't. It's not like I could go anywhere even if I did."

"There, so it's fine!"

After everything, a few taps of a control panel was all it took. She was free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this update took so long!! College has been super hectic lately, and I've been finding it hard to get into a good study routine and find time for writing as well. I definitely haven't abandoned this fic though, I hope to update as much as I can!! Thank you for being patient~ <3


	4. Crystal Gems

The dwelling was quaint, Jasper thought. Technologically it was fairly basic, but that seemed to be the case for the rest of this planet as well. The house was sturdy and comfortable, built to be enjoyed rather than simply for practicality, and a part of that appealed to her.

"This is the kitchen, and that up there is my bedroom!" Steven said, pointing out different parts of the building. "The gems live here too, but they each have their own rooms. The drill's in a different building though, it's outside, so we're going to have to walk to that but it's not far, so don't worry!"

He seemed to be babbling somewhat, but Jasper found that she didn't really mind. This Steven didn't seem much like the tales she'd heard of Rose Quartz, who'd started a war against her own kind, who had to be brought to justice to protect Homeworld. No, Steven was different.

 As they stepped outside, Jasper found that she recognised the view. The beach where she landed when she returned to this planet for the first time since the war, where she tried to coerce Lapis Lazuli into fusion to capture Rose Quartz, only to find herself trapped in a body and mind that wasn't even fully her own.

"The drill is up on that hill over there," Peridot pulled her from her thoughts, seemingly eager to make conversation with her. "It's in a sort of warehouse that the Steven refers to as a 'barn'. Apparently it was previously used for storing nutritional providers, but is now where the Crystal Gems keep all of their horrifically outdated machinery." She said the words 'horrifically outdated' like it was from a time before civilisation.

Jasper cocked an eyebrow at her "You realise that their equipment is most likely similar to what I used during the war, right?"

"It's not my fault that you're as ancient as the rest of them."

"Well, I guess a newly formed gem just wouldn't understand."

"I am not newly formed! I am old enough for the diamond authority to deem me fit for working on a mission with the likes of you."

"Really? With that height you could have fooled me."

Peridot seemed outraged at the suggestion and turned her head away pointedly. Jasper smirked, the first time she'd met this gem she was a stuttering mess who couldn't even look her in the eye. Times where Peridot felt confident enough to tease her back were gradually becoming more common, and Jasper secretly loved it.

As they made their way to the top of the hill, Jasper finally caught sight of a small wooden structure that reminded her of pictures she'd seen in history books. This must be the 'barn' that Peridot had mentioned, it seemed sturdier than she was expecting, as though the gems had actually attempted to maintain it. A mess of plans and random technology parts scattered across the grass in front, as if in place of wildflowers.

In the centre of the assortment sat the Pearl, who was the first to look up at the trio approaching and leapt to her feet, summoning her weapon.

"Steven!" her high voice pierced the air "What is she doing out of her cage? I told you not to go near her, especially when we aren't around!"

The Garnet and Amethyst emerged from the building at the commotion with their own weapons. Great, another fight with the Crystal Gems, just what she needed while her body sorted out whatever condition it was suffering.

"No, Pearl you don't understand she's not like that..." Steven spoke up in her defence which Jasper thought was sweet, despite its futility. Whatever this not-Rose creature was, he clearly ranked below the other gems; they had no reason to take his opinion into consideration.

The Garnet spoke up, still watching Jasper's every move. "She's dangerous Steven, she's a warrior gem."

"I know, but she doesn't have any of her weapons and it's not like she can contact anyone. Plus after being fused with Lapis," Steven hesitated "It must have weakened her somehow, right? With all of us here we could always contain her again if we had to. And she already promised not to hurt anyone!"

"But Steven!" Was that a hint of hysteria in the Pearl's voice? "You need to think about-"

Garnet held up a hand to stop her, and finally dropped her gaze to the boy's. "What made you let her out of her cage in the first place?"

"She's been around longer than Peridot has, she's worked with both the new _and_ the old gem technology! I thought she might know something about getting them to work together, and she agreed to help so..." he trailed off, looking at the fusion expectantly.

Garnet flicked her eyes back to Jasper's. "Why would you want to stop the cluster?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jasper was relieved her voice remained steady, despite the chill she'd gotten at the mention of Lapis Lazuli. "I'm stuck on this planet as much as the rest of you, what choice do I have? The cluster will tear us to pieces if we don't stop it first."

Garnet studied her.

"But the cluster is one of Yellow Diamond's projects. As one of her warriors, shouldn't you be more than willing to give yourself up for her plans?"

Ahh, dammit, the red gem just had to go there. Because that was one of her biggest internal conflicts right now, why exactly did she care about her own survival? The greater good of gemkind had always been her main priority, and yes she had deviated _slightly_ from that at times to better her reputation, but had never gone to the lengths of openly defying one of Yellow Diamond's plans. Plus, her reputation back on Homeworld must be shattered by now, what exactly was she trying to protect here? Her eyes subconsciously flicked to Peridot, who was gazing at her nervously, and then to the rest of the gems on this little hill. She didn't exactly know, and that irritated her as much as it concerned her. If she didn't act for Homeworld, what exactly was her purpose?

Curse the fusion for making her say this, she grumbled internally, locking eyes with the other gem.

"I don't know."

Garnet seemed to think this over, looking Jasper up and down intently, before apparently coming to a conclusion. Jasper tensed, and noticed the Pearl and Amethyst do the same.

"Fine. If you want to help with the drill you can see what you can do, but you'll be working under Pearl and Peridot. And if you make one wrong move," She took a step forward "You'll have me to answer to."

And with that she turned back towards the barn.

"But Garnet..." The Pearl trailed off.

 "Make sure of us is watching her at all times. If she tries anything, restrain her immediately."

The Pearl nodded slowly, and turned her attention back to Steven who was currently thanking Garnet profusely in an overly-excited tone. In all honesty, Jasper was surprised that they had agreed to let her free, even if she was intending on helping them. Back on Homeworld she would have been severely punished for actions similar to those she had inflicted upon these Crystal Gems, and would've expected nothing less. The life these gems had created for themselves upon this insignificant planet was still so strange to her, she could barely wrap her head around it.

"I knew they'd come around eventually." Peridot was suddenly right beside her. "Do you want to see the progress we've made on the drill so far? As I mentioned previously some of their technology is painfully rudimentary, but I can show you how we intend it to work. That is- if you want."

Jasper smiled to herself, she wondered if Peridot knew how obvious her desire to show off her work was.

"Sure, lead the way."

And with that Peridot's eyes lit up, practically dragging her over to the barn to catch her up on what she'd missed.

Through Peridot's constant chatter and Steven's occasional comments, Jasper couldn't help but notice the wary looks the other gems consistently threw her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter out!! College isn't showing any signs of slowing down the pace, but I'm still working hard!! I recently managed to convince my best friend to watch Steven Universe and he's loving it, maybe in time we'll make a Jasper fan out of him too aha. I hope you enjoyed this, please leave a comment it really motivates me to keep going!! Until next time! <3


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